


In Time

by honestgrins



Series: To Rely on the Kindness of Strangers [229]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: All-Human, Canon-ish, Childhood Sweethearts, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:14:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25533436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honestgrins/pseuds/honestgrins
Summary: Anonymous asked: Village!KC (during childhood/childhood sweethearts)
Relationships: Caroline Forbes/Klaus Mikaelson
Series: To Rely on the Kindness of Strangers [229]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/378628
Comments: 12
Kudos: 121





	1. Chapter 1

Klaus laced his hands together, bracing himself against the tree as he crouched before her. 

For her part, Caroline just lifted an eyebrow. “I have climbed this tree just as often as you have,” she said. “Since when do I need your help?”

With a deep sigh of exasperation, he didn’t budge from his position. “Let me, please." 

She rolled her eyes, but propped her foot onto his joined hands. "One turn guarding the caves during the full moon, and you feel the need to prove yourself a man. That is nonsense, Niklaus.” Hauling herself up, she settled on the lower tree branch where they whiled away many an afternoon. 

“It is nonsense to want to do right by you?” He pulled himself up to sit next to her, easily tucking his legs beneath hers to give them both greater support. “Your future husband certainly has his work cut out for him if you make courting so difficult.”

Her smirk softened into a real smile, and she laced their hands together in her lap. “He will not find me so difficult as he finds you, surely. You chase off every boy that looks at me.”

He shrugged. “You have not told me to stop.” Licking his lips, he seemed to have trouble meeting her eyes. “Some in the village think us doomed to be stuck with only each other for company.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” she answered, her voice subdued. When he braved a glance up, she was staring down at his palm where she traced idle shapes. “You could do worse for a wife.”

His heart pounded in his chest, nerves overwhelming him at the realization that the time had come. “I could,” he admitted. “I do not think I could do better.”

Caroline looked to him, confused. “What?”

“I-” He breathed deep for courage. “Truthfully, I think you’re the only one for me, and I want to marry you someday.”

A blush rose high on her cheeks. “We are too young,” she stammered out, though a smile pulled at her lips. “My parents would not allow it for another year at the earliest.”

“Nor would mine,” Klaus agreed, emboldened by the way she continued to clutch his hand. “But we could make our intentions known…if you’d like. The village already believes it to be true, so no one could be too shocked.”

“What if you change your mind?” Now, she was the one to look nervous, and he could read every thought across her face. “You might find another-”

But he shook his head, knowing his heart more clearly than ever. “I will not,” he promised. A thought occurred to him, however, and he grew confused himself. “Why are you only concerned that _I_ would change _my_ mind?”

The blush then filled her whole face until her skin seemed bright pink, and her lips pressed together. 

“Caroline?”

She swallowed. “There are few options to choose from when the others all follow after the Petrovas. And you listen to me, even if only to argue.” Her voice was shy when she finished, so unlike her. “I think I want to marry you, too.”

Klaus grinned and squeezed her hand, both in reassurance and joy. “Now, we just have to get our parents to agree.”

Shoving him lightly, Caroline stopped fighting a smile. “You still might change your mind.”

“I doubt that,” he said, more hopeful than ever she would be his wife one day. 

“There you go, arguing with me again,” she teased. Shifting closer, she leaned her head on his shoulder. “I guess time will tell.”

From where he sat, half tangled with her in the tree, Klaus thought time would actually be on his side for once in his life - right when it mattered the most. “I guess it will.”


	2. Always

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thetourguidebarbie asked: Sequel to in time!!!!!!

“Should have known I would find you here.”

Smiling, Caroline leaned away from the trunk to look down to where Klaus stood. “You couldn’t sleep either?”

He climbed the tree, sitting himself as close to her as possible. “Why? Is something happening tomorrow?”

“Hah,” she huffed. Tucking her bare toes beneath his leg, though, she seemed pretty amused anyway. She reached out her hand for him to take, which he did effortlessly. “I can hardly believe we are going to be married.”

Klaus shrugged, bringing their joined hands up to place a kiss on hers. “You have had two years to get used to the idea,” he pointed out. 

Her shoulder knocked into his. “You know what I mean. Aren’t you excited?”

“I am.” His smile was serene, lit well in the waxing moonlight. “By this time tomorrow, the gods will know us as husband and wife. To think, I thought I would have to beg for you to accept.”

She gave an impish grin. “You still can.”

“And risk you changing your mind? No, thank you. You are already mine, my love, as I am yours.”

“Such sweet words, my heart,” Caroline teased, stroking her hand up his arm. It felt like ages since they had any time alone, and she intended to enjoy this. “Will you be sleep as poorly tomorrow night?”

His ears flushed a bright red, just the reaction she had hoped for. “Elijah and Finn helped me finish our new home this morning,” he said, clearing his throat. “The bed seemed comfortable enough.”

She traced the rim of his ear before carding through his hair. “Did it, now?” The blush extended down his neck, even as he leaned into her touch. Such a shy one, her husband to be. “I expect we’ll sleep very well then. Eventually.”

Oh, yes, she’d had plenty of time to get used to the idea of being his wife. He sputtered for a response, and she smiled sweetly. She couldn’t wait to marry him. “You’re teasing me,” he finally said. 

“Always, my heart. Always and forever.”


	3. Seeded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous asked: Prequel to In Time, with Klaroline as kids!!!

They were running, and Klaus didn’t know why. One second, he was helping Kol collect kindling; the next, Caroline was grabbing his hand to tug him along behind her as she sprinted across the forest. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see, now come _on_!”

He followed her all the way to the top of the falls without further question until she reached the base of a large tree. When she gave a bright smile, he just shrugged. “It’s a tree.”

Her eyes shined like she had found a treasure. “It’s a _climbing_ tree, and it’s going to be ours. We can have our very own place to go when we don’t want to be anywhere else.”

Klaus could understand that, and he eyed their very own place with a new appreciation - and a wary respect for its size. The lowest branch was too high for him to reach. “How do we even get up there?”

Biting her lip, Caroline seemed unsure. Then, she folded her hands together and bent her knees to brace herself. “Here, step.”

As always, he did as she asked, only for him to pitch head first into the trunk as he lost his balance with a shout. “That hurt!” he whined, holding his face.

“Stand up.” She helped him do just that and cupped his cheek, ignoring his wince. “No blood, you’ll be fine. Now, try again.” Once more, she laced her hands together. He went faster this time, boosting himself up onto the branch without pausing, and she cheered. “Pull me up!”

With some wrestling and a lot of squabbling, they were soon both nestled together, doing their best not to fall. “See?” Caroline asked, grinning. “A place of our own, just for us.”

Klaus leaned back against the trunk, unable to help a smile to match hers. “There are worse people to share a tree with, I suppose.”

Of course, she shoved him for saying it, and he fell from his perch - but not before dragging her with him. Laughing and groaning, they fell into a pile on the ground. “Serves you right,” she said, shoving him again. “I ought to keep this tree all to myself.”

“No.” He was still smiling and he didn’t know why. “No, it’s ours. A place of our own.”

She smiled, too, as she watched the sun stream down through the leaves. “And?”

Rolling his eyes, Klaus gave a halfhearted kick. “Thank you, Caroline, for sharing the tree with me.”

“Always,” she answered dreamily, which made him smile even more.


	4. Family Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anonymous asked: A snippet from the In Time universe, Caroline and Klaus are grownup but little Henrik wants to marry Caroline! ft.Petty Jealousy from Klaus

Huddling together in the cave was a habit formed long before their marriage, but Klaus felt a new resolve to protect his wife as she leaned into his side. “Are you cold?”

Caroline shook her head. “I’m just tired, and you’re comfier than the ground.”

“Here, Caroline.” Henrik appeared on her other side, spreading his blanket to lay over her lap, too. “You can share mine.”

“Thank you, Henrik,” she said, dropping a kiss onto his hair. “This is very kind of you, and you should remember to be as kind to the girl you end up marrying someday.”

His eyes went wide in that guileless way only children’s can. “Can’t I marry you?”

Klaus cleared his throat, none too taken despite the teary smile pulling at Caroline’s lips. “Hey, she already married me. Get your own wife.”

“I did marry him,” she said in a commiserating tone, winking at his offended scoff. “But I can tell you a secret that even he doesn’t know yet.”

Rearing back, he watched as she leaned down to whisper in Henrik’s ear, whose mouth formed into a little ‘o’ at whatever she told him. With a huge grin, he all but bounced where he sat. “Really?”

Caroline nodded, but pressed a finger to her mouth. “No sharing the news with anyone else, though. It’s our little secret for now.”

Henrik gave a solemn nod in return, though his eyes fell to her stomach with a curious quirk of his lips. “For how long?”

A choking noise startled them both, and she glared a bit. “Not very, apparently. You need to work on keeping secrets, Hen.”

“Did I ruin it?”

But the question was lost as Klaus pulled her into his lap, his expression one of wonder when she smiled and settled his hand over her bodice. Nothing felt amiss, yet the thought that soon a babe would quicken right there overwhelmed him. “You didn’t ruin a thing,” he promised his brother. “Nothing could ruin this.”

Grinning, Caroline kissed his cheek, mindful of the others around their little bubble of happiness. “Good answer.”


End file.
